Cool stuff for a wyvern

[trentonjoe]

I am adding a hunting wyvern to an area my group will be spending some time in next session and am looking for some suggestions on what magic items a wyvern might be able to use.

My group is about 13th level so I advanced the wyvern to 12 HD. I am still a little worried the guys are going to blow through it though, it is only a CR 9. I want to make it atleast a little tougher so I thought maybe it would be able ot use some of its treasure. My initial thought was amulets of protection but that seems sooooo boring.

Any suggestions?

 

[Sir Whiskers]

I am adding a hunting wyvern to an area my group will be spending some time in next session and am looking for some suggestions on what magic items a wyvern might be able to use.

My group is about 13th level so I advanced the wyvern to 12 HD. I am still a little worried the guys are going to blow through it though, it is only a CR 9. I want to make it atleast a little tougher so I thought maybe it would be able ot use some of its treasure. My initial thought was amulets of protection but that seems sooooo boring.

Any suggestions?

Your problem is the low Intelligense score - with just a 6 Int, it's not likely to use any items intentionally.

One option is assume it swallowed some items which were not destroyed and haven't yet been passed: a magic ring, for instance.

Another idea is to apply a template to it. I threw an Enchanted wyvern at a party and it had them confused for a while. (The template is from the Book of Templates Deluxe pdf.) Among other things, the template gives the creature invisibility and mage armor a limited number of times per day. Swooping on the party invisibly while they marched along a road was a lot of fun (for me ). BTW, the monk stunned and killed it when it landed - should have kept using Flyby Attack...

 

[demiurge1138]

Templates are the way to go for augmenting low-Intelligence creatures. Monster of legend from MMII is a good all-around boost template, if there's a reason for this wyvern to be infused with godly power. Fiendish is always a good simple template, but it really doesn't add much to the creature but resistances and SR. I'd suggest the multiheaded template from Savage Species, or, barring that, the practically identical multiheaded template from the Wizards website. 5 heads are always better than one.

Demiurge out.

 

[WingOver]

How about giving it a druid master who casts enhancements spells on it? Or maybe a gnoll ranger rider who likes to attack with lance or bow?

Other than that I like the template ideas... you should find a suitable one in the MM if you have it... like a fiendish wyvern who smites with its stinger.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I am adding a hunting wyvern to an area my group will be spending some time in next session and am looking for some suggestions on what magic items a wyvern might be able to use.

My group is about 13th level so I advanced the wyvern to 12 HD. I am still a little worried the guys are going to blow through it though, it is only a CR 9. I want to make it atleast a little tougher so I thought maybe it would be able ot use some of its treasure. My initial thought was amulets of protection but that seems sooooo boring.

Any suggestions?

Since you have made it 12HD it is a gargantuan wyvern, with a lovely 15ft reach, enabling it to make its flyby attacks without incurring AoO from the party. It will have an extra two feats and an extra two ability points (I'd put them on Str and Con).

Thus the advanced wyvern has a total new Str of 36, Con of 24 (Dex down to 10), and additional +12 to grapple checks because of his size, making his total grapple chance something like +12 BAB, +13 Str, +12 size or +37. This is pretty difficult for most PC's to beat. Use one of his new feats on Snatch.

His new CON makes the poison save DC a much more fearsome DC25 for its 2d6 CON/2d6 CON poison. (and the sting does 3d6+13 damage)

Thus the modus operandii of this hunting wyvern is to make a flyby attack, snatching a target and flying off with him, doing automatic bite damage each round (based on the improved grab description for it you could rule that if it snatches with claw it then does automatic sting damage each round if you want to be terribly cruel). It can also try dropping them from altitude to break open tough steel shells.

If I read it right his gargantuan bite does 4d8+13 damage

The key thing is that this needs to ambush its foes, get in a snatch and make off with them quickly. If it does end up in a stand up fight then it needs to take full attacks against single targets, but it should stay on the wing and indulge only in flyby snatch attacks.

I could imagine this kind of creature using up 20% of the parties resources with cunning tactics and no additional magics unless the party have some unusual killer spells or items to consider.

Cheers

 

[Bloodstone Press]

Lots of good ideas here. I would only second the suggestion for a template. If you want to use magic items, pick a template that increases the creature's Int.

Also consider boosting the creature's Int by a few points. Remember that the ability scores listed in the MM are "average." There is no reason this gargantuan, templated wyvern can't have a base Int. score that is 8 or 10 (before adding increases for HD and the template).

If you got his Int up to 14 or 16, you could add a couple levels of wizard.

 

[Morpheus]

If you have the Draconomicon, slap a couple of feats onto it. I would use Improved Speed, Power Dive and maybe, Multiattack.

 

[Gregor]

When in doubt...make it fiendish! Why? I dont know.

 

[FireLance]

Make it a half-fiend. That bumps its Int up to 10 and its Cha up to 11. Then, give it a few levels of Sorcerer, load him up with wands and/or staves and put that Flyby Attack feat to good use .

 

[Paka]

Perhaps the wyvern was some kind of creature's pet and although the Wyvern killed and ate them it still wears their magical collar. The collar does have a code word written on the inside of it that will put the Wyvern to sleep for an hour if spoke but the party probably won't find that until they kill the monster.

I have no idea what the collar does...maybe some AC bonus and gives it Improved Critical Threat range with one of its attacks.

Have fun.